Apparatus for waste-rock elimination.



H. L. KRAMER, APPARATUS FOR WASTE ,ROCK ELIMINATION.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,1909. 942,083. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H; L. KRAMER. APPARATUSFOR WASTE ROCK ELIMINATION. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1909. 1 942,083, Patented Dec. '7, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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APPARATUS FOR WASTE ROCK ELIMINATION.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1'1, 1909.

Pateliterl Dec. 7, 1909, 1 HBETssH2nT-a.

HENRY L. KRAMER, OF KRAMER, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR WASTE-ROCK ELIMINATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Application filed March 11, 1909. Serial No. 482,739.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. KRAMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kramer, in the county of Warren and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Waste-Rock Elimination, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to an improved method and means for facilitating the elimination of the waste rock from the material delivered from a mine, and conveyed to the crusher or mill.

Heretofore, in the concentrating process preparin the ore, such as lead, zinc (jack) and the like for the smelting, it has been usual and customary in this country to pass all of the mixed mined material, both waste rock and pay ore, to the crusher and subject it to the action of the other devices or appliances employed in the concentration. Obviously, the crushing, milling, conveying, and elevating of the waste rock or non-ore bearing portions of the mixture require a needless expenditure of energy and fuel, Without mentioning the useless wear and tear on the machinery and the necessity of pumping and employing a surplus quantity of water which can in no way increase the yield of metal per ton of ore.

The main and leading object of my invention is the provision of simple and inexpensive means whereby a considerable portion of this objectionable waste rock may be preliminarily eliminated or separated from the pay ore, the former passing without manual handling to the Waste pile or dump, while the latter only is subjected to the concentrating process proper.

Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, means are provided for separating the larger from the smaller particles, the former being. substantially uniformly delivered or fed to a conveyer transporting the mixture toward or to the dump, such travel of the coarser pieces on the conveyer permitting them to be submitted to visual inspection by one or more sorters, who by the appearance of the pieces can readily discriminate between the waste rock' and ore bearing particles, and can remove the latter from the conveyer, the waste rock by mechanical handling only being carried and delivered to the waste pile. The pay ore thus sorted is of course subjected to the usual concentrating process and, in order to facilitate this, in the device or appliance hereinafter set forth in detail I provide, adjacent to the above-mentioned mixture or waste-pile conveyer, a second conveyer to receive such sorted ore and deliver it to the bin or receptacle into which the finer particles or pieces passed during the first or initial size grading mentioned above. From such storage bin the ore is conducted to the crusher and other appliances in the customary manner.

It will be apparent from the above brief and condensed description that a considerable portion of the waste and useless material may be readily and economically eliminated and that the grade of the treated ore will be correspondingly increased and improved.

I do not wish to convey the idea that I am the originator of the scheme of visual inspection of the ore for the removal of certain portions thereof, but I do, however, claim to be the inventor of the combination and organization of elements set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and to which ref-- erence should be made for a full understandlng of the inventi0n,Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 11 of Fig. 2, showing partially in section and partly in elevation a desirable and preferred embodiment of the invention, one outer wall being broken away to more clearly show the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure, with parts omitted revealing the inner structure and features of construction; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4t4c of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 55 of Fig. 4, on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, it will be noticed that the side-opening or doorway 10 at the top of a vertical cageway or elevator shaft 11 communicating with the mine is connected by means of an inclined apron or platform 12 with the top end of an upper, suitably supported comparatively coarse grizzly or grating 13 composed of two parts or sections 14 and 15, the former of which is inclined, while the latter is desirably substantially horizontal. Near the front end of grizzly 13 a braced abutment or stop-wall 16 is positioned to prevent the descending ore from falling over of]? the structure. Beneath this grizzly or grating 13, of any suitable or ordinary construction such as parallel spaced bars, I position a similar, finer, inclined, vibrated grizzly 17 disposed transversely of the upper one, and in order that all the material which passes through the coarser one may be directed to the second one, an inclined trough 18 is located below the part 14, while a sloping wall 19 at the other side of the grizzly 17 assists in carrying out this purpose. Y

A large ore-bin or chamber 20 of substantial capacity below the grizzly 17 receives the ore fine enough to pass through such grating, the bin having a sloping or inclined floor or bottom wall 21 directing its contents to a discharge chute 22, which directs the ore to a crusher 23 of any desired or usual construction. In the upper part of this bin I provide an equalizing compartment 24 with similar sloping bottom walls 24 and 24 leading to a valve opening or doorway 25 at the lower part of the compartment and in one of its Vertical side walls 26. As is illustrated most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the lower end of grizzly or grating 17 projects over the side wall 27 of chamber 24, whereby the large particles or pieces of the mixture of pay ore and waste rock failing to pass through such grizzly are delivered or discharged from the latter into such equalizing compartment. Grizzly 17 is suspended on a plurality of supports 28 and is reciprocated or vibrated by means of an ordinary engine or motor 29, in a room 30 adjacent to bin 20, connected by a belt 31 to a drive-shaft 32, the latter in turn being connected to a sec 0nd or intermediate shaft 33 by another belt 34, it being understood of course that such belts coiiperate with and take around suitable pulleys on the shafts. Intermeshing bevel gears 35 transmit the rotation of shaft 33 to a rotary eccentric shaft 36, the latter having thereon a pair of eccentrics 37, the encircling straps 38 of which have extensions or-rods 39 pivoted or hinged to the lower end of the grizzly.

A sliding valve or door 40, which may be located on either side of wall 26, controls the discharge of the waste-rock and pay-ore mixture from compartment 24 to a still finer, inclined, grating or grizzly 41 with side boards 4P, such valve or door being controlled and governed by any suitable actuating mechanism, such as a toothed rack 42 on the door, the teeth of which mesh with those of a pinion43 on a conveniently mounted shaft 43 supplied with a turning handle 44. A perforated water-pipe 45 above grizzly 41 directs jets or a spray of water on to the mixture as it issues from compartment 24, causing a washing of the same, thereby freeing it from dust and the like. The small valuable particles thus Washed off pass through the grizzly either down an inclined chute 46 or into a storage chamber 47 having a hinged cover 47 depending upon the position of a pivoted door or valve 48, which, when in the full-line position of Fig. 4, closes the chute or tube 46, permitting passage of the ore and water into the storage chamber, from which the water escapes, as by overflowing, leaving the valuable deposit behind. Such door or valve, however, is ordinarily in the dotted-line position of Fig. 4 and directs the water and Washed-off ore or particles to chute 46, which may conduct them to the mill or other part of the concentrating apparatus not shown.

The larger pieces of the mixture slide down grizzly 41 at a substantially uniform rate, even though the charges are delivered intermittently to compartment 24, on to a mixture or waste-pile belt-conveyer 49 transporting the same and discharging that part of the mixture not removed therefrom to a chute 50, through which it passes to a dump or waste-pile. Conveyer 49 passes around drums 51 and 52 on the pair of shafts 53 and 54, the former of which is rotated to operate the conveyer from driveshaft 32 by means of belt 55, eoacting pulleys, and the gears 56 and 57, the latter of which is fixed to shaft 53, while the former is mounted on a suitable jack shaft. At one side of this mixture conveyer I provide a pay-ore conveyer 58 adapted to receive the ore removed from the mixture while it is subjected to visual inspection and sorting on the belt conveyer, such inspection being facilitated by the washing operation described above which the mixture receives. This conveyer 58, which is desirably an endless belt supplied with transverse slats 58, has a horizontal stretch or portion 59 in room 30 adjacent to mixture conveyer 49 and an inclined part 60, most of which is outside of room 30 and at the outer side of wall 61, forming a part of bin 20 and equalizing compartment 24. Conveyer 58 coacts with drums 62, 63 and 64 on shafts 65, 66 and 67, respectively, the latter being rotated to actuate the conveyer by a belt 68 cotiperating with pulleys on shafts 32 and 67 (Fig. 2). Conveyer 58 discharges the pay-ore tossed thereupon by the sorters or pickers into a chute or conduit 69 communicating with bin 20 (Fig. 3).

The operation of this apparatus or up pliance is substantially as follows :The mixed pay-ore and waste-rock is elevated intermittently in cageway 11 and dumped from the car 70 on to platform 12, from which it slides on to the first or coarse grizzly 13. That which fails to pass through the grating is broken up manually with a sledge hammer or the like, so that all of the material reaches the second, finer, vibrated grizzly 17, being directed thereto by elements 18 and 19. The material passing through this second grizzly falls directly into bin 20 and travels from the latter through chute 22 to crusher 23 and the remainder of the concentrating apparatus. The coarser pieces failing to reach bin 20 through grizzly 17 are discharged intermittently into the equalizing chamber or compartment 24, from which they issue through opening'25 at a substantially uniform rate to the still finer grizzly 41, being subjected thereon to the washing spray or jets of water delivered thereto through the perforations or apertures of water pipe 45. Such wash water and valuable ore carried along therewith may pass down chute 46 to the concentrating apparatus or mill, or to tank or chamber 47, depending upon the position of valve 4.8. The larger washed pieces drop from grizzly 41 on to mixture conveyer 49. While on such constantly-traveling conveyer the pieces are examined by the sorters or pickers, who remove the easily-detected pay-ore and toss or deposit it on the second or pay-ore conveyer, which elevates and delivers it into bin 20 with the other ore. The waste-rock not removed from the mixture or waste-pile conveyer is discharged on to the dump. In this way one or more sorters can readily and easily eliminate the waste-rock from a large quantity of such a mixture in a comparatively short period of time, the Waste-rock being handled or transported entirely mechanically.

In case the mill does not happen to be running, gate or valve 48 may be swung to the full-line position of Fig. 4, causing the water and fine ore to pass to chamber 47. From the latter the accumulated ore may be shoveled on to conveyer 58, and by the latter deposited in the bin, door or cover 47* being provided to facilitate or permit the removal of such temporarily stored ore. Ordinarily, however, the mill being running, no use of the storage chamber or compartment would have to be resorted to.

Obviously, by eliminating the greater part of the waste-rock or non-ore bearing material before it reaches the crusher, a great saving is effected in the amount of material acted upon by the concentrating apparatus, the wear and tear on the machinery is diminished, the amount of water pumped and used is lessened, and considerable saving in the amount of power required to run the plant is effected.

It has been found upon examination that twenty per cent. of the dirt as it comes out of some mines carries approximately eighty per cent. of the values, and this twenty per cent. is the dirt that is ordinarily called fines and will pass through a screen or grating with half-inch openings. It is obvious therefore that the balance of the entire dirt removed from the mine, eighty per cent, will only carry approximately twenty per cent. of the values. It has been found further, upon careful test, that fifty per cent. of the dirt as it leaves the mine will pass through a shaking grizzly or vibrating grating with one-inch openings. If therefore in the device described above the upper grizzly 13 is provided with openings of approximately four and one-half inches, while the vibrating or shaking grizzly 17 is supplied with one-inch openings, about one half of the entire product of the mine will pass directly into the hopper or bin 20, while the other half will be delivered from the grizzly 17 into the compartment 24. In the usual milling process all of the waste rock is ground up and reduced to approximately three-eighths inch size, but with an eliminator of the character set forth above about half of the waste rock in sizes from one inch up to four and a half inches is eliminated and carried to the waste pile wholly mechanically; in fact, it is never touched by the human hand, and simply comes out of the mine, goes through the process of sorting and is discharged on to the dump.

As has been fully described, the object of this invention is to recover as much as possible of the valuable parts of the mixture of waste rock and pay ore and at the same time eliminate the waste rock so that it is not crushed or subjected to the subsequent jigging operations. Attention may also be directed to the saving effected by the employment of an apparatus of the character described. The average loss of mineral in jigging operations will be somewhere in the neighborhood of one to two per cent. of mineral. Averaging on the basis of a four per cent. ore as it comes out of the ground and is run through the mill in the ordinary way, a four hundred ton mill would have a loss on a basis of one and a half per cent. in the tailings pile, or six tons of mineral a day on the four hundred tons run. Inasmuch, however, as the waste rock carries off its percentage of good ore, it is obvious that by preliminarily elminating a considerable portion of such waste rock, the loss mentioned'may be considerably reduced.

With an eliminator of the character described, about one-half of the waste rock will be cut out, the remaining two hundred tons of dirt being run through the mill with the saving of one and a half per cent, that is, approximately three tons of mineral which the waste rock would have carried off if not eliminated in the manner specified. Such a saving, based on ore at $40.00 per ton, would amount as is obvious to $120.00 per day.

Whereas I have herein specified certain characteristics of the above described apparatus and the dirt as it comes from certain mines, I may state that the above is merely cited as an example of the savings effected and the advantages accruing from the use of my improved apparatus and method.

Inasmuch as this invention is not limited and restricted to the precise structural 'features shown in the drawings and described in this specification, many minor mechanical changes may be made therein without departure from the substance and essence of the invention and without sacrificing any of its benefits and advantages.

I claim:

1. In a Waste-rock eliminator, the combination of a grizzly, means to deliver mixed waste-rock and pay-ore to said grizzly, a bin to receive the material which passes through said grizzly, an equalizing receptacle receiving the material failing to pass through said grizzly, a conveyer receiving the mixture from said receptacle and conveying it on its way to a waste-pile, and a pay-ore conveyer adjacent to said first conveyer and adapted to receive the pay ore removed from the mixture on said first conveyer and deliver it into said bin, the remaining wasterock on said first conveyer being discharged on said waste -pile, substantially as described.

2. In a waste-rock eliminator, the combination of a grizzly, means to deliver mixed Waste-rock and pay-ore to said grizzly, a bin to receive the material which passes through said grizzly, an equalizing receptacle receiving the material failing to pass through said grizzly, a conveyer receiving the mixture from said receptacle and conveying it on its way to a Waste-pile, a second grizzly between said receptacle and said conveyer over which the mixture discharged from said compartment passes, and a pay-ore conveyer adjacent to said first conveyer and adapted to receive the pay-ore removed from the mixture on said first conveyer and deliver it into said bin, the remaining Waste-rock on said first conveyer being discharged on said waste-pile, substantially as described.

HENRY L. KRAMER.

Witnesses E. H. CAR UEVILLE, W. M. ALLEN. 

